The present invention relates to a device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion, a cartridge auto-changer and a cartridge automatic control device with an auto-changer with respect to an information recording cartridge.
A cartridge control device has a device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion that prevents an information recording cartridge from being inserted from the incorrect direction into a cartridge storage part of the cartridge control device. A prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion is disclosed in Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 01-146158. The prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion installed in a cartridge control device will be described below.
The prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion prevents incorrect insertion of the information recording cartridge by disposing a notch for preventing incorrect insertion at a predetermined position on the outer shape of the information recording cartridge. The cartridge storage part of the cartridge control device has a projection as the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion disposed at the position where the notch for preventing incorrect insertion falls in the case where the information recording cartridge is inserted from the correct direction. While the projection of the cartridge storage part does not interfere with the information recording cartridge physically in the case where the information recording cartridge is inserted from the correct direction, it interferes with the information recording cartridge physically in the case where the information recording cartridge is inserted from the incorrect direction (That is, the information recording cartridge cannot be inserted in fact).
FIG. 9 is a figure for illustrating the function of the prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion of the cartridge control device. Parts (a) and (b) of FIG. 9 schematically show the cartridge control device 2 and the information recording cartridge 93 seen from above. The cartridge control device 2 has the projection 92 as the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion. The information recording cartridge 93 has the notch for preventing incorrect insertion 91 on the left side in the foreside. Part (a) of FIG. 9 shows the situation in which the information recording cartridge 93 is stored in the cartridge control device 2 at a predetermined position without being interfered by the projection 92 as the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion when the user inserts the information recording cartridge 93 from the correct direction (referred to as “normal direction”) into the cartridge control device 2 (at normal insertion). Part (b) of FIG. 9 shows the situation in which a forward edge of the information recording cartridge 93 hits against the projection 92 as the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion and remain at the position so that the information recording cartridge 93 cannot enter into the cartridge control device 2 completely when the user inserts the information recording cartridge 93 from the incorrect direction into the cartridge control device 2 (at incorrect insertion).
The information recording cartridge 93 is installed in the cartridge control device 2 only when being inserted from the correct direction. In the case where the information recording cartridge 93 is inserted from the correct direction into the cartridge control device 2, the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion may have a switch, actuator of which is activated by the housing of the information recording cartridge 93. Based on activation of the switch, the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion determines that the information recording cartridge 93 has been inserted from the correct direction.
The above-mentioned prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion is used for the cartridge control device and also a cartridge auto-changer that stores a plurality of information recording cartridges 93 inserted from the direction shown in part (a) of FIG. 9 in a magazine and loads the information recording cartridge 93 one by one in the cartridge control device 2 located in the rearward position (upper position of part (a) of FIG. 9).
The above-mentioned prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion adopts the notch for preventing incorrect insertion disposed in the foreside of the information recording cartridge. It is possible to attach the prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion to the cartridge storage part of a type into which the information recording cartridge is inserted from its foreside. However, the prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion cannot apply to the cartridge storage part of a type into which the information recording cartridge is inserted from any side other than its foreside (no notch for preventing incorrect insertion is disposed at a predetermined position in the foreside of the information recording cartridge).
Further, in a tape library device (cartridge automatic control device) having a cartridge control device and a rotary cartridge auto-changer as shown in FIG. 1, when inserting the information recording cartridge into the tape library device, the information recording cartridge needs to be inserted from the opposite direction to the normal direction, so that the prior art device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion cannot be applied. By storing the information recording cartridge in the plurality of cartridge storage parts and moving them while being rotated, the tape library device in FIG. 1 can perform the flexible control of arbitrarily selecting the information recording cartridge loaded in the auto-changer and reading out information stored therein. The cartridge storage part into which the information recording cartridge is inserted from the opposite direction is rotated and moved to the position opposed to the cartridge inserting port of the cartridge control device to eject the inserted information recording cartridge to the opposite direction, thereby to load the information recording cartridge in the cartridge control device from the normal direction.
Recently, the information recording cartridge having a memory module such as MIC (Memory In Cassette) and CM (Cassette Memory) and the cartridge control device for recording and/or reproducing information to/from the information recording cartridge have become widespread on the market. The information recording cartridge having a memory module such as MIC and CM built-in comprises a housing of substantially rectangular flat shape with a predetermined thickness that has a notch for preventing incorrect insertion at its left corner in the foreside, a recording medium stored in the housing, a memory module that records management information therein, and an antenna for radio communication of the memory module disposed at a predetermined position with a displacement in the right or left direction in the backside of the housing.
In a device into which the information recording cartridge is inserted from any direction other than the normal direction (for example, from its backside), the present invention intends to provide a device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion capable of preventing or detecting incorrect insertion, a reliable cartridge auto-changer and a cartridge automatic control device with an auto-changer that load the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion therein.
In a device into which the information recording cartridge having a memory module such as MIC or CM built-in is inserted from any direction other than the normal direction (for example, from its backside), the present invention intends to provide a reliable device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion capable of determining whether or not the cartridge inserting direction is correct and outputting the determination information, a reliable cartridge auto-changer and a cartridge automatic control device with an auto-changer that load the device to prevent cartridge incorrect insertion therein.
In addition, in specification, claims and abstract, the right-and-left direction of the information recording cartridge refers to the direction when the information recording cartridge is seen from above with its foreside up and its backside down.